Windows 7 / Getting Started

Getting Details on an Object

You can query information from any of these classes with the Get-wmiObject cmdlet. This command will provide basic information on the queried object and looks like this for the Win32_ComputerSystem class.

Get-wmiObject Win32_ComputerSystem

The output on one of my systems is

Domain : WORKGROUP
Manufacturer : Dell Inc.
Model : Dell DM051
Name : MIKE-PC
PrimaryOwnerName : MIKE
TotalPhysicalMemory : 3756154880

Tip The Get-wmiObject cmdlet has its own alias of gwmi Instead of typing in the entire command, you can substitute it with gwmi whenever desired For example, the following two commands are interpreted the same:

Get-wmiObject Win32_ComputerSystem
gwmi Win32_ComputerSystem

You can use the same command for any Win32 class to see what type of information is provided.

You can also modify what information is provided. For example, by adding the Format- List cmdlet, you'll see significantly more detail on the queried object. Instead of just a few commonly used properties, it will list all of the properties:

Get-wmiObject Win32_ComputerSystem | Format-List *

If you execute these commands, you may notice that some of the properties start with two underscores (such as __Genus, __Class, and so on). These are used by the system and are referred to as system classes. If you want to eliminate them, you can use the following command to list properties that start with a letter:

Get-wmiObject Win32_ComputerSystem | Format-List [a-z]*
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In this tutorial:

  1. Working with the Command Prompt
  2. Starting and Ending a Command Prompt Session
  3. Easy ways to invoke administrator Command Prompt sessions
  4. Starting Command Prompt at a Particular Folder
  5. Strings with Spaces Need Quotes
  6. Cmd.exe vs. Command.com
  7. Commands Are Not Case Sensitive
  8. Starting Command Prompt and Running a Command
  9. Cmd.exe and Other Command Prompts
  10. Using AutoRun to Execute Commands When Command Prompt Starts
  11. Using Cmds Command-Line Syntax
  12. Using Commands
  13. Type /? for help
  14. Starting Programs
  15. Open Windows Explorer at the current Command Prompt folder
  16. Using File-Name and Folder-Name Completion
  17. Use a different completion character
  18. Using Wildcards
  19. Editing the Command Line
  20. Using Command Symbols
  21. The Redirection Symbols
  22. The Pipe Symbol
  23. The Command Combination Symbols
  24. Pausing or Canceling Commands
  25. Simplifying Command Entry with Doskey Macros
  26. DOSKEY Saves Typing
  27. System Variables Identify the Environment
  28. Viewing Environment Variables
  29. Modifying Environment Variables
  30. Predefined Environment Variables
  31. Customizing Command Prompt Windows
  32. Setting the Window Size and Position
  33. Setting the Window Size and Position Visually
  34. Selecting a Font
  35. Setting Colors
  36. Setting Other Options
  37. Copy and paste in the command prompt window
  38. Navigating from the command prompt
  39. Printing a list of filenames
  40. Commands Use Paths
  41. Identifying Executables
  42. Modifying the Path to Executables
  43. Modifying the Path with the GUI
  44. Changing the Current Path with CD
  45. Changing the Current Path with Windows Explorer
  46. Capturing the Output
  47. A Sampling of Commands
  48. Dir
  49. Copy
  50. XCopy
  51. SET
  52. NET USE
  53. SystemInfo
  54. DriverQuery
  55. Echo
  56. Advanced Shell Commands
  57. Creating a Batch File
  58. Scheduling a Batch File
  59. Creating Scheduled Tasks with a Script
  60. Using Windows PowerShell and the PowerShell ISE
  61. Windows PowerShell ISE
  62. PowerShell Commands
  63. Verbs and Nouns
  64. Sending Output to a Text File
  65. PowerShell Syntax
  66. Variables Created with a $ Symbol
  67. Comparison Operators
  68. Parentheses, Brackets, and Braces
  69. Running PowerShell Scripts
  70. PowerShell Execution Policy
  71. Changing the Execution Policy
  72. Looping
  73. Collections
  74. Creating a PowerShell Script
  75. Documenting Scripts
  76. Using PowerShell Commands
  77. Getting Help on PowerShell
  78. Using WMI_Cmdlets
  79. Getting Details on an Object
  80. Querying Information on Specific Objects
  81. Terminate Applications with Win32_process
  82. Formatting Output with the -f Format Operator
  83. Filtering the Output with the Where-Object Command
  84. Using the IF statement
  85. Using the Switch Statement
  86. Script Reusability